Volatile Cyclone Narelle starts to weaken

Volatile Cyclone Narelle starts to weaken

It appears that Tropical Cyclone Narelle will spare Western Australia's Pilbara coast but forecasters are not ruling out the chance that it could change course.

The Bureau of Meteorology does not expect Tropical Cyclone Narelle to reach the Western Australian coast (Credit: Audience submitted)

It appears that Tropical Cyclone Narelle will spare Western Australia's Pilbara coast but forecasters are not ruling out the chance that it could change course.

The cyclone peaked in intensity overnight and was briefly upgraded to a category five system earlier this morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology says it does not expect any storm surges, severe wind or severe rain to today impact the most vulnerable town, Exmouth.

Narelle has slowed to about seven kilometres per hour and was last located 425 kilometres north-west of Exmouth.

The tourist town has so far had only some intermittent rain but there is a possibility that wind gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour could hit North West Cape tomorrow.

State Emergency Service manager Russell Levine says when the category four cyclone was briefly upgraded to category five this morning, comparisons were made to Cyclone Vance, which lashed the cape in 1999.

"It was a bit of a worry there for a while, it was tracking the same as Vance," he said.

Exmouth shop-owner Rusty Ellis says residents have stocked up and bunkered down just in case.

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